Merthyr Express column

Poetry Night
Tonight’s Open Mike Poetry Night (Thursday, 25th September) at The Imperial Hotel, Pontmorlais, welcomes Mab Jones. The Cardiff poet began her career when she haphazardly gate-crashed a poetry open mic and then, a month or so later, found herself in the semi-final of the Radio 4 National Poetry Slam. Thanks to this, Mab was encouraged to carry on gate-crashing events. She is now resident poet at the Resurrected Comedy Club in Cardiff, and has performed in recent months at Chapter, Bath Spa University, Swansea Grand Theatre, and many other places. Mab has been likened to ‘Pam Ayres’ with a risque and often cortroversial slant. She is also training to become a therapeutic counsellor. Performance poetry is her own form of self-therapy, which she may outgrow at some point. Until then, Mab is having a jolly time, and tries to entertain through poems that are funny and dark in equal measure. Open Mike Poetry Nights at The Imperial are funded by MTCBC Arts and Academi. For further information please contact Gus Payne at the column details.

Classic Punk Tonight
The Myfanwy Theatre, at Merthyr Tydfil College, present a season of performances for all tastes beginning this September with the fast and furious sound of punk legends the UK Subs, supported by special guests, Merthyr’s very own Foreign Legion tonight, Thursday, 25th September at 8.00pm. The UK Subs topped the charts at the end of the 1970s and into the 80s, with hits like Stranglehold, Party in Paris, Tomorrows Girls, Teenage and War-Head. The band is among a select group of British bands from that era, who influenced the likes of Green Day, The Offspring and others. They have continued to gig and release new material throughout the 90s and this decade. Tickets cost £10.00. For further in formation please contact Myfanwy Theatre 07516774384. Merthyr’s Foreign Legion also support another classic punk band, Stiff Little Fingers, when they return to south Wales for a show at The Point in Cardiff, next month, 14th October.

Folk Music
The music continues at the Myfanwy Theatre on Tuesday, 22nd October, this time with the mellower sounds of folk singer and songwriter, Amy Wadge. Tickets for the event cost £10.00. For further information please contact Myfanwy Theatre 07516774384.
Amy Wadge started writing songs at the age of nine on the family piano. At 14, she signed her first record deal with her band, 'Two Of A Mind' and released her first single at the age of 16. At 19, Amy moved to Wales to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She was voted Best Female Solo Artist at the 2002 and 2003, Welsh Music Awards, She toured Australia as a Welsh Assembly Government, cultural ambassador, during the 2003, Rugby World Cup. Amy has continued touring ever since, singing the length and breadth of the UK and playing at many of the UK's prestigious festivals including Cropredy, Hay on Wye Literary Festival, Larmer Tree Festival and Glastonbury. She has also toured in Asia, Russia, Europe and the USA. Amy’s new album, "Bump!" is available now. The performance season at the Myfanwy Theatre is supported by the University of Glamorgan, MTCBC Arts and the Arts Council’s Night Out scheme

Book Available Soon
The new Merthyr Tydfil short stories and poetry book is almost here. The official launch and Open Mike Night will take place at the Imperial Hotel on Thursday 23rd October, with an official publication date the following day. The book, which features 26 authors, including Des Barry, Mike Jenkins, Anthony Bunko and Mike Williams, will be available through various outlets including Merthyr Libraries and The Welsh Books Council website http://www.gwales.com/. For further information please contact Gus Payne at the column details.

The Big Experiment / Yr Arbrawf Mawr

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The Big Experiment
How about a weekend of traditional music?
The chance to play and learn and experiment and enjoy.
This is the place to stretch yourselves as musicians and singers and ask all the questions you've been wanting to ask and our experts will hopefully have the answers or will know a man (or woman) who does!
You could use the opportunity to improve your singing skills and repertoire or bring an instrument that is not your usual main instrument and try something new!
We've got some great tutors and groups for all skill levels, special guest Brian McNeill and the chance to play and sing with some of the best musicians in Wales today.
There are reduced rates for full time students, scholarships for young musicians and the option of a flexible payment plan. If you book before the end of September it's cheaper too.
Find out all the details and how to book on <http://www.trac-cymru.org/>
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Yr Arbrawf Mawr
Beth am benwythnos o gerddoriaeth draddodiadol?
Y cyfle i chwarae a dysgu ac arbrofi a mwynhau?
Dyma'r lle i ymestyn eich hunain fel cerddorion a chaneuwyr ac i ofyn yr holl gwestiynnau sydd gennych a gobeithio bydd ein cyfarwyddwyr yn gwybod yr atebion.
Defnyddiwch y cyfle i wella eich gallu caneuol a'ch gwybodaeth o ganeuon traddodiadol neu dewch ag offeryn sydd yn llai cyfarwydd na'ch prif offeryn a thriwch rhywbeth newydd!
Mae gennym ni diwtorion arbennig a grwpiau yn addas i bob lefel o fedrusrwydd, ymwelwr arbennig Brian McNeill a'r cyfle i chwarae a chanu gyda rhai o'r cerddorion gorau yng Nghymru heddiw.
Mae pris arbennig ar gyfer myfyrwyr llawn amser, ysgoloriaeth ar gyfer cerddorion ifainc a'r dewis o gynllun taliad hyblyg. Os nodwch lle cyn diwedd Mis Medi mae'n rhatach hefyd.
Mae'r holl manylion ar y cwrs a sut i nodi lle ar <http://www.trac-cymru.org/>

Merthyr Express column

UK Subs
The Myfanwy Theatre, at Merthyr Tydfil College, present a season of performances for all tastes beginning this September with the fast and furious sound of punk legends the UK Subs, supported by special guests, Merthyr's very own Foreign Legion next Thursday, 25th September at 8.00pm. Tickets cost £10.00. For further in formation please contact Myfanwy Theatre 07516774384. The season at the Myfanwy Theatre is supported by the University of Glamorgan, MTCBC Arts and the Arts Council's Night Out scheme

Drama
On Tuesday, 14th October Merthyr's Myfanwy Theatre welcome back Hijinx Theatre with their dramatic production; Paul Swift's play, directed by Louise Osborne; The Other Woman Set on a hill farm in South Wales during the First World War, the play explores the struggles of Megan Watkins, a young mother who is left alone in an isolated farmhouse when her husband goes off to war. The Other Woman. The play explores the events that develop when a young conscientious objector arrives at the farmhouse, seeking refuge. When Meg agrees to help him by disguising him as Mary Anne, her cousin from Cardiff, she has no idea of the difficulties that will unfold when her husband returns from the front. Performance starts at 7.30pm. Tickets: £4.00 (£2.50). For further in formation please contact Myfanwy Theatre 07516774384. Supported by the University of Glamorgan, MTCBC Arts and the Arts Council's Night Out scheme.

Recycled Art
A new exhibition of art using recycled materials titled "ReWorked2" is currently on show at The Washington Gallery, Penarth, until 7th October, before moving to Cyfarthfa Castle from 15th October to 7th November. Artists in the exhibition have found ingenious ways to re-use materials, especially melted plastic, to create many new objects. An intriguing aspect of the exhibition is the range of materials deployed: sculptures from dishwashing sponges, vinyl records melted to an organic shape, food cans converted in spectacular fashion to a metre-high figure. Reworked 2 also sees many artists choose to make clothing items from paper, denim or packaging. An entire outfit has been made from used cassette ribbon, a dress sewn together from 10,000 clothes labels. The exhibition will move to Cyfarthfa Castle in November 2008. The prizewinners' presentation will take place during this time. For further information please contact The Washington Gallery on 02920 712100 or Cyfarthfa Castle on 01685 723112.

The Waiting Room,
A new drama by the talented Caryl Lewis - winner of the Welsh Language Book of the Year 2005 (Martha, Jac a Sianco); Tir-Na-Noog prize 2004 (Iawn Boi!); Long List Welsh Book of the Year 2008 (Y Gemydd). This is Caryl's second play for Arad Goch. Suitable for ages 13+ the performance lasts for around 60 minutes. There are waiting rooms everywhere - in the health clinic, in the driving test centre, in the train station and even backstage. When you are waiting for your life to begin, the world can seem like a big waiting room. This is a drama about growing up. A drama that questions the idea of 'success'. A drama that looks at how very different members of the same family can be. We follow the lives of a brother who is a stage star, a sister who is waiting back home for her life to begin and a mother whose big secret will change all of their lives forever. The Waiting Room is a Welsh language play at Zoar Hall (next to the Canolfan Gymraeg (Welsh Centre), Pontmorlais, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 8UB on Wednesday, 26th November 2008, at 7pm.

Big Draw

The Big Draw.
Drawing on Life in Merthyr - You and Your Home.

Painting at Glamorgan GATES on Thursday 2 - 5pm.

Creative Writing at a Taste of Enterprise on Wednesday from 10.30am onwards.

Textile Art in Pontsticill (venue tbc) and day and time tbc.

Woodwork in the Bedlinog area (venue tbc) 2pm - 5pm every afternoon for the week of 8th September

If you are interested in taking part in any of these workshops please contact Sue on 01685 729942

Funded by Glamorgan Gates, Communities First, Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Assembly Government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council Arts.